This invention relates to an engine-equipped apparatus, and more specifically to a control-display device for apparatus such as portable engine-generator sets used for powering pumps, compressors, chain saws, lawn mowers, etc.
Japanese patent application titled "Control Display Device for an Engine-equipped Apparatus" (Japanese Patent Provisional Publication Sho. No. 61-1300), filed by the assignee, discloses an engine equipped apparatus wherein the controldisplay device is mounted directly onto the apparatus. Consequently the operating conditions can only be read from a position close to the apparatus. In other words, the operating conditions of the apparatus being operated outdoors could not be read from indoors.
Generally speaking, bringing the engine start and stop functions of such an engine-equipped apparatus indoors via a cable, and bringing a voltmeter (conventional analog type instrument) to display the output voltage indoors via a cable, would be considered to be an easy task technologically. However, when dealing with a control-display device containing computing circuits, such as described in the aforementioned Japanese Patent Provisional Publication Sho. No. 61-1300, the extension of the cable generally results in considerable change in the transmission data, and therefore it has not been considered practical to bring the control-display device indoors via an extension cable.
It is a general object of this invention to, when using a control-display device containing computing circuits for an engine-equipped apparatus, make it possible, from a location indoors, for example, to check the operating conditions and to perform such functions as starting, operating, and stopping (this includes all other necessary functions) of the apparatus.